


hardest hue to hold

by redamancyy



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Family Issues, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Other, Pining, don’t ask it’s not like i write, idk there’s not much to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:14:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25634128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redamancyy/pseuds/redamancyy
Summary: There’s a swing in the woods, in Kris’s town.Sometimes the hardest thing is loving someone who doesn’t see it.
Relationships: Kris & Ralsei (Deltarune), Kris/Ralsei (Deltarune)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	hardest hue to hold

**Author's Note:**

> this was a short exercise to try to get over my writer’s block, because i have actual Good Things planned but alas
> 
> title is from the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

“Here.”

Ralsei rounds a tree to where Kris stands, facing a little clearing. A small ring of tree trunks circle a single one in the center. Hanging from a branch dangles a wooden swing, covered in yellow leaves.

He watches Kris under the spots of sun as they approach the swing, step lighter than before. They tug on the rope, then sweep the leaves off the seat. It’s much too big for them, and as they sit it appears that they could fit another person on it.

Which, as they look up and lay a hand on the space next to them, was what they planned.

Ralsei approaches and pulls at the rope like they had, dry and rough under his hands. It looks worn but sturdy enough. 

So he sits. 

As it turns out, there isn’t enough room for the both of them, and they end up squished together on the swing. Ralsei swings his legs and admires the myriad of greens and yellows and cool blue ground.

“What’s something you miss?” Kris says suddenly.

Ralsei blinks. “About what?”

“Anything. What do you miss?”

“Well...” He has to pause and think. “Maybe—reading new books. I’ve finished all the ones in my library back home.”

Kris nods, kicking a leg in the air so the swing rocks and creaks.

Ralsei eyes their hand, close to his on their respective laps. “What about you? What brought this up?”

Kris purses their lips and kicks again. “My dad built this swing for me,” they eventually say.

It clicks. “Oh.”

The sun moves over the ground, breeze rustling the trees. “It was a while ago. Today’s the day they broke up.”

“Today?”

“Five years ago,” they continue tersely. “He moved out. I know he’s just down the street, but it feels like... like I can’t get to him. He’s too far away.”

Ralsei has no idea what to say to that, so he grabs their hand and holds it. They tremble. 

“It’s so weird.” Kris looks at him. “And I miss it.”

“That’s why we’re here.”

“Mhm.” They fall silent then. 

Ralsei mulls over that. It’s strange, listening to Kris talk about it. It’s the kind of thing they’ve only mentioned a couple times, and they never go into it at length. Now it just seems... sudden.

“I also miss the lanterns, when I was younger,” he offers. 

“Lanterns?”

“When I was little, there were these huge lanterns in the main hall. Always lit and flickering, and very beautiful. But I never knew how to tend to them.” This is stupid and entirely unhelpful, but he pushes on. “So one day, I noticed they started getting dimmer.”

“They went out?”

He nods. “As expected. They’re much too high for me to ever reach, and I still wonder who lit them. Why they lasted so long.”

“It must be pretty dark now,” Kris says and the humor creeps back into their voice. 

Ralsei laughs. “A little. I took an interest in candles once they went out.”

They sniff. “Hope you light them again.”

“I’ll always be here for you,” Ralsei says sternly, and looks straight at Kris. They’re so very pretty. “I’ll always listen. I’m never going anywhere.”

“I believe you.”

“No, you don’t.” There’s more he wants to say, but they don’t need all that. “There’s nothing wrong with not being alright. If that makes sense.”

“So cheesy.” It’s their smile that hurts him the most. A little pang just under his collarbone. “But thank you.”

“I’ll always be here,” he says, and Kris’s fingers lace through his. 

Then the quiet settles over them again, the two watching the light shift over the growth on the floor. Patches of soft moss and leaves, littered with the brilliant Lightner sun. It’s yellow and golden and soft blue and Kris will always be his friend.

Always his friend, no matter what.

Ralsei thinks he understands, though. Sometimes, the worst thing in the world is not to be lacking love, but to be misunderstood. Perhaps one is not unlovable when all they are is in need for someone to talk to.

**Author's Note:**

> me posting this: don’t you dare tag it as daddy issues
> 
> anyway thanks for reading


End file.
